Vehicle safety stop for platform of vertical rising lift

ABSTRACT

A loading ramp is pivotally connected to one side of the horizontal platform. At that side the ramp has an opening in which a safety stop is mounted by hinges at the far side of the opening. The stop is movable between a lowered position at which it is flush with the ramp and a raised position. A counterweight is attached to an arm which extends from the underside of the stop to the underside of the ramp beyond the hinge connection.

tlnited States Patent 1191 Richards [451 Mar. 25, 1975- I VEHICLE SAFETY STOP FOR PLATFORM OF VERTICAL RISING LIFT [75] Inventor: Lawrence 1. Richards, Elk Grove Village, 111.

[73] Assignee: Autoquip Corporation, Chicago, Ill. [22] Filed: Apr. 13, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 350,783

[52] US. Cl. 187/852, 14/71 [51] Int. Cl B661 7/28 [58] Field of Search 14/71, 72; 187/852, 18; 254/8, 9, 10, 88, 89 H, 92, 122, 93 L; 214/38 EA, 512

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 80,391 7/1868 Clark 14/71 X 1,545,262 7/1925 Kleven 14/71 1,943,003 1/1934 Cochin 254/89 1,955,586 4/1934 Hott 254/89 2,052,119 8/1936 2,098,376 11/1937 Cunneen .L 254/89 Estel 254/89 2,843,865 7/1958 Loomis 3,176,334 4/1965 Lovdahl 3,411,168 11/1968 Hecker 1. 14/71 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 712,397 7/1954 United Kingdom Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Darbo, Robertson & Vandenburgh [57] ABSTRACT A loading ramp is pivotally connected to one side of the horizontal platform. At that side the ramp has an opening in which a safety stop is mounted by hinges at the far side of the opening, The stop is movable between a lowered position at which it is flush with the ramp and a raised position. A counterweight is attached to an arm which extends from the underside of the stop to the underside of the ramp beyond the hinge connection.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures VEHICLE SAFETY STOP FOR PLATFORM OF VERTICALRISING LIFT SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a simple and effective safety stop for vertical lifts having loading ramps, which stop automatically raises as the platform raises from the loading surface and lowers as the ramp moves down to the loading surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lift embodying. the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the lift and stop embodiment in the raised position;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary view of said raised position; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical section through the loading ramp.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT The following disclosure is offered for public dissemination in return for the grant of a patent. Although it is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements.

The illustrated and described embodiment is shown in conjunction with a scissors lift, such as might be used to move wheeled vehicles, generally 10, from a truck bed to a floor 11 or other horizontal surface. The scissors lift includes a horizontal platform 12 having loading ramps 13 and 14 pivotally connected at opposite sides by hinges 15. Platform 12 is connected to a base 16 by a scissors mechanism 17 with the movement up and down being powered by one or more hydraulic cylinders 18. The loading ramp 14 has an outer end 19 which rests on surface 11 when loading and unloading. There is also an intermediate support in the form of angle 20 which also rests on the surface 11. As thus far described, the construction is conventional.

The ramp 14 has an opening 24 therein adjacent the side of the platform 12. One boundary of this opening is defined by the proximal edge of the ramp and at the opposite boundary (parallel to the platform side) is a piano-type hinge 25. This hinge connects one edge of a stop plate 26 with the adjacent edge of ramp 14. There is a reinforcing angle 27 welded to the underside of the plate 26. Along the underside of the distal end of the plate 26 is a second angle 28 welded to the plate. This angle serves two functions, namely, reinforcing, and adding width to the distal edge of the plate 26 to serve as a bumper. The plate 26 has a lowered position at which it is flush with the surface of ramp 14. In this lowered position, the distal edge of the plate 26 rests on an edge 29 formed by one of the framing members of the platform. The raised position is defined by two stop hinge 25. The sleeve is positioned between two segments of the hinge, but the shaft 36 is continuous therebetween.

When the ramp 14 is resting on a surface 11, the counterweight 33 is also supported by that surface. This pivots the stop plate down to the position at which it is flush with the ramp 14. This position is illustrated in FIG. 1 and in full lines in FIG. 4 As the platform is raised and the ramp 14 moves away from surface 11, the counterweight 33 gradually lowers causing arm 34 to pivot about shaft 36. This raisesthe stop 26 towards the dot-dash position illustrated in FIG. 4.

Actually, the counterweight employed is such that it does not fully raise the plate 26 against stops 30, but rather the plate assumes an intermediate position as illustrated in FIG. 2. In this intermediate position the distal edge of the plate 26 and angle 28 are sufficiently lugs 30 welded to the ramp and which are contacted by the proximal edge of plate 26 when the plate is in the fully raised position (see the dot-dash lines in FIG. 4).

On the underside of the ramp is a counterweight 33 which is secured to one end of an arm 34. The other end of the arm is welded to angle 27. Intermediate the ends the arm is welded to a short sleeve. This sleeve is pivotally mounted on shaft 36 which forms a part of the high to block the wheels (or adjacent parts ofthe vehicle 10 if the wheels are not at the outside edge of the vehicle) from moving off of the side of the platform 12. When the wheels, for example, move against the distal edge of the stop plate the action usually will be one of forcing the stop plate toward the fully raised position at which the plate contacts the stops 30. This movement has a cushioning effect that would not be present were the counterweightto fully raise the stop plate 26 (that is against stops 30) all the time (i.e., prior to being contacted by the wheels).

The stop plate 26 does not interfere with the pivotal movement of the ramp 14 about hinge 15. In fact, when the ramp is moved to and beyond. the vertical position a brace to hold the ramp in that raised position and prevent the ramp from falling completely over against the top of the platform.

I am aware of prior art vehicle stops being employed in or on the platform such as 12. Thus such vehicle stops are in location at which workers are apt to be riding. This creates a hazard that those workers may trip over the stops (when the platform is in the raised position and the stops are in use) with the possibility of injury. That is not the case with respect to this invention, since there is little likelihood that a worker would venture out on the ramp 14 (due to the obviously insecure cantilevered arrangement) when the platform is raised and the ramp is not resting on a surface at that raised position. Also, arrangement of the stop in the ramp 14 rather than as a part ofplatform 12 increases the usable area on the platform.

I claim:

1. In a vertical lift for transporting wheeled vehicles from one horizontal surface to another, said lift comprising a platform, a device connected to the platform to move the platform vertically, a loading ramp extending from one side of the platform, and a safety device on the lift for preventing a vehicle on the platform from accidentally moving off said side of theplatform, the improvement wherein said device comprises:

said ramp having an opening therein immediately adjacent said side of the platform, said opening having a first boundary adjacent said side and a second boundary spaced from the first boundary and said side, said second boundary being straight and approximately parallel to said side; a stop plate the size of said opening and positioned therein;

means including a hinge connecting the ramp at said I second side with the adjacent side of the stop plate and permitting the stop plate to move with respect to the ramp from a first position at which it is flush with the ramp in an upwardly direction to a second position at which it is sufficiently above the ramp to block the movement of the vehicle onto the ramp, said means limiting the movement of the plate in said direction, and

actuating means for raising said plate after said ramp has moved a given distance from said surface and to contact said surface as said ramp moves down toward the surface to automatically retract the plate to said flush position upon the ramp reaching the floor, said actuating means including a counterweight on an arm fixedly attached to the plate and positioning the counterweight below said ramp at the opposite side of said second boundary from said plate.

2. In a vehicle lift as set forth in claim 1, wherein the actuating means does not fully raise the plate to said limit of its movement in said direction when said ramp and means are completely clear of said surface.

3. In a vertical lift for transporting wheeled vehicles from one horizontal surface to another, said lift comprising a horizontal platform, a device connected to the platform to move the platform, a loading ramp extending from one side of the platform and pivotally secured to said side of the platform, and a safety device on the lift for preventing a vehicle on the-platform from accidentally moving off said side of the platform, the improvement wherein said safety device comprises:

an insert in the ramp with a first portion thereof immediately adjacent said side and a second portion spaced from said side and pivotally connected to the ramp for movement in a given direction from a position at which its top is flush with the top of the ramp to a second position above said top of the ramp, means connected to said insert for pivoting said insert to said second position after said ramp has moved a given distance from said surface and to contact said surface as said ramp moves down toward the surface to automatically retract the portion to said flush position upon the ramp reaching the surface, and stop means on said ramp and positioned to contact said insert for preventing movement in said direction substantially beyond said second position, whereby when said ramp is raised from a horizontal position to and beyond a vertical position with respect to said horizontal platform said first portion will contact said platform to brace said ramp in an upright position with said stop means preventing further pivotal movement of the insert so that the insert would fail to brace the 

1. In a vertical lift for transporting wheeled vehicles from one horizontal surface to another, said lift comprising a platform, a device connected to the platform to move the platform vertically, a loading ramp extending from one side of the platform, and a safety device on the lift for preventing a vehicle on the platform from accidentally moving off said side of the platform, the improvement wherein said device comprises: said ramp having an opening therein immediately adjacent said side of the platform, said opening having a first boundary adjacent said side and a second boundary spaced from the first boundary and said side, said second boundary being straight and approximately parallel to said side; a stop plate the size of said opening and positioned therein; means including a hinge connecting the ramp at said second side with the adjacent side of the stop plate and permitting the stop plate to move with respect to the ramp from a first position at which It is flush with the ramp in an upwardly direction to a second position at which it is sufficiently above the ramp to block the movement of the vehicle onto the ramp, said means limiting the movement of the plate in said direction, and actuating means for raising said plate after said ramp has moved a given distance from said surface and to contact said surface as said ramp moves down toward the surface to automatically retract the plate to said flush position upon the ramp reaching the floor, said actuating means including a counterweight on an arm fixedly attached to the plate and positioning the counterweight below said ramp at the opposite side of said second boundary from said plate.
 2. In a vehicle lift as set forth in claim 1, wherein the actuating means does not fully raise the plate to said limit of its movement in said direction when said ramp and means are completely clear of said surface.
 3. In a vertical lift for transporting wheeled vehicles from one horizontal surface to another, said lift comprising a horizontal platform, a device connected to the platform to move the platform, a loading ramp extending from one side of the platform and pivotally secured to said side of the platform, and a safety device on the lift for preventing a vehicle on the platform from accidentally moving off said side of the platform, the improvement wherein said safety device comprises: an insert in the ramp with a first portion thereof immediately adjacent said side and a second portion spaced from said side and pivotally connected to the ramp for movement in a given direction from a position at which its top is flush with the top of the ramp to a second position above said top of the ramp, means connected to said insert for pivoting said insert to said second position after said ramp has moved a given distance from said surface and to contact said surface as said ramp moves down toward the surface to automatically retract the portion to said flush position upon the ramp reaching the surface, and stop means on said ramp and positioned to contact said insert for preventing movement in said direction substantially beyond said second position, whereby when said ramp is raised from a horizontal position to and beyond a vertical position with respect to said horizontal platform said first portion will contact said platform to brace said ramp in an upright position with said stop means preventing further pivotal movement of the insert so that the insert would fail to brace the ramp. 